Residential Services Officer
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Tēnei tūranga – About the role
The Residential Services Officer is a team member position in MBIE. They will bring their business understanding and perspective to work in partnership with their manager and other staff.
The role contributes to the operations of Te Āhuru Mōwai o Aotearoa by acting as the key point of contact for quota refugees and asylum seekers who are accommodated at the centre, from their arrival and through the duration of their stay. They also act as a key point of contact for staff members, and visitors and service providers requiring access to the centre, on a day-to-day basis.
The Residential Services Officer participates in planning and organising in relation to the day-to-day operations at Te Āhuru Mōwai o Aotearoa. The role includes the provision of quality services to the quota refugees and asylum seekers at Te Āhuru Mōwai o Aotearoa, through full, accurate and timely services and advice on matters affecting the care, wellbeing and rights of refugees and asylum seekers. They liaise with other service providers to maximise efficiency and ensure the smooth running of the refugee orientation programme.
Ngā herenga – Requirements of the role
Personal specifications
- Proactive and confident customer service skills gained from working in front-facing customer-centric roles, balancing both incoming calls and visitors.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, encompassing putting the other party at ease, active listening, questioning and summarising.
- Good written communication skills to enable the presentation of ideas, information and advice in a way that is understandable and acceptable by a range of audiences.
- Previous experience working in a positive and sensitive way with people of diverse cultural backgrounds, gender and abilities.
- Ability to work effectively without direct supervision.
- Strong analytical skills and a demonstrated ability to exercise sound, reasoned judgement.
- Solutions orientated and strong problem-solving ability.
- Excellent organisational skills, with an ability to prioritise and manage high workloads in sometimes challenging situations and to meet deadlines.
- Comfort using the Microsoft Suite – including Word, Excel and Teams; and facilities management systems.
- Ability to discreetly deal with confidential information.
- Knowledge of a language of a major client group of the Refugee Quota Programme and/or exposure to overseas travel or other cultures would be an advantage but is not essential.
- Must be a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident.
- Police vetting is required.
- Required to drive and must hold a full current driver licence.
- Is able and willing to undertake shift work as per the team schedule and in accordance with MBIE policy on a 24/7 basis.
Takohanga tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables
Day-to-day operations of Te Āhuru Mōwai o Aotearoa
- Be the representative and the front face of Te Āhuru Mōwai o Aotearoa, attend reception and assist all staff members, visitors, service providers and residents, including after hours.
- Coordinates and manages access to Te Āhuru Mōwai o Aotearoa for visitors and service providers.
- Ensures consistent use of the visitor tracking system and maintain records of all entries and exits.
- Pre-registers visitors in the sign-in system and assigns security tags, and issues visitor and temporary identification and security access cards.
- Updates agency employee name list in sign-in systems.
- Programmes access cards for residents, visitors, service providers and all agencies.
- Manages the child protection protocols for all visitors on site.
- Reports any facility damages to the Asset and Facilities Manager, as required.
- Raises jobs for INZ’s service providers using MBIE’s facilities management system.
- Acts as building warden for all emergency evacuations and leads the evacuation of Te Āhuru Mōwai o Aotearoa when required.
- Provides comprehensive and accurate shift handover reports and weekly reports.
- Other tasks as required to support the day-to-day operations at Te Āhuru Mōwai o Aotearoa.
Resident Liaison
- Manages the arrival and departure of all quota refugees and asylum seekers, including booking all required transportation to and from the airport.
- Manages and responds to all residents’ requests, complaints, and medical needs during and after business hours including weekends.
- Plans and escorts residents to and from the airport during arrivals and departures, including liaison with the Support team to arrange for interpreters and airport aids where required.
- Leads and conducts site orientation presentations and health and safety briefings for all arrivals into the centre.
- Coordinates the purchase of mobile phones, sim cards, top-up and distribution as required.
- Supervises and supports refugees during mealtimes.
- Works alongside Immigration Manager, Resettlement Case Officers, Housing Officers, and wider Refugee Quota Programme team and other agencies to coordinate and manage drive residents to appointments required offsite. For examples: medical, bank, shopping, visiting places and church/mosque.
- Assist allowance provider upon arrival , accurately manage weekly allowance sheet for approval and distributes to residents in designated area.
- Accompanies medical representative to accommodation blocks when required to meet with residents.
- Delivers food and other requirements to residents who are in isolation onsite.
- Liaises with and manages residents to ensure their transition is smooth.
- Conducts welfare checks on residents and reports daily to settlement team and medical team if required on the wellbeing of their clients.
Administration and Reporting
- Organises and files all related documents for pre-arrival e.g. arrival cards and pre-departure printing itinerary.
- Maintains occupancy board and keeps kitchen and medical staff updated on occupancy.
- Reports weekly with occupancy list, including arrivals and departures to the appropriate offsite and on-site agency.
- Provides reporting on previous day activities, including all critical cases onsite.
- Facilitates the day-to-day operation of Te Āhuru Mōwai o Aotearoa by undertaking administration tasks, e.g. data entry, basic administration, sorting incoming mail for collection or delivering to agencies where needed, answering phone calls and emails from immigration staff, onsite agencies and other incoming queries.
Wellbeing, health and safety
- Displays commitment through actively supporting all safety and wellbeing initiatives.
- Ensures own and others safety at all times.
- Complies with relevant safety and wellbeing policies, procedures, safe systems of work and event reporting.
- Reports all incidents/accidents, including near misses in a timely fashion.
- Is involved in health and safety through participation and consultation.
Tō tūranga i roto i te Manatū – Your place in the Ministry
The Residential Services Officer position reports into the Team Leader Residential Services within the Refugee and Migrant Services branch. The branch sits within the Immigration New Zealand group.
To mātou aronga – What we do for Aotearoa New Zealand
Hīkina Whakatutuki is the te reo Māori name for the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. Hīkina means to uplift. Whakatutuki means to move forward, to make successful. Our name speaks to our purpose, Grow Aotearoa New Zealand for All.
To Grow Aotearoa New Zealand for All, we put people at the heart of our mahi. Based on the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi / The Treaty of Waitangi, we are committed to upholding authentic partnerships with Māori.
As agile public service leaders, we use our breadth and experience to navigate the ever-changing world. We are service providers, policy makers, investors and regulators. We engage with diverse communities, businesses and regions. Our work touches on the daily lives of New Zealanders. We grow opportunities (Puāwai), guard and protect (Kaihāpai) and innovate and navigate towards a better future (Auaha).
Ngā matatau – Our competencies
Cultivates innovation We create new and better ways for the organisation to be successful by challenging the status quo generating new and creative ideas and translating them into workable solutions.
Nimble learning We are curious and actively learn through experimentation when tackling new problems by learning as we go when facing new situations and challenges.
Customer focus We build strong customer relationships and deliver customer-centric solutions by listening and gaining insights into the needs of the communities we serve and actively seeking and responding to feedback.
Decision quality We make quality and timely decisions that shape the future for our communities and keep the organisation moving forward by relying on an appropriate mix of analysis, wisdom, experience, and judgement to make valid and reliable decisions.
Action oriented We step up, taking on new opportunities and tough challenges with purpose, urgency and discipline by taking responsibility, ownership and action on challenges, and being accountable for the results.
Collaborates We connect, working together to build partnerships with our communities, working collaboratively to meet shared objectives by gaining trust and support of others; actively seeking the views, experiences, and opinions of others and by working co-operatively with others across MBIE, the public sector and external stakeholder groups.
Te Tiriti o Waitangi
As an agency of the public service, MBIE has a responsibility to contribute to the Crown meeting its obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi (Te Tiriti). Meeting our commitment to Te Tiriti will contribute towards us realising the overall aims of Te Ara Amiorangi – Our Path, Our Direction, and achieve the outcome of Growing New Zealand for All. The principles of Te Tiriti - including partnership, good faith, and active protection – are at the core of our work. MBIE is committed to delivering on our obligations as a Treaty partner with authenticity and integrity and to enable Māori interests. We are committed to ensuring that MBIE is well placed to meet our obligations under the Public Service Act 2020 (Te Ao Tūmatanui) to support the Crown in strengthening the Māori/Crown Relationship under the Treaty and to build MBIE’s capability, capacity and cultural intelligence to deliver this.
Mahi i roto i te Ratonga Tūmatanui – Working in the public service
Ka mahitahi mātou o te ratonga tūmatanui kia hei painga mō ngā tāngata o Aotearoa i āianei, ā, hei ngā rā ki tua hoki. He kawenga tino whaitake tā mātou hei tautoko i te Karauna i runga i āna hononga ki a ngāi Māori i raro i te Tiriti o Waitangi. Ka tautoko mātou i te kāwanatanga manapori. Ka whakakotahingia mātou e te wairua whakarato ki ō mātou hapori, ā, e arahina ana mātou e ngā mātāpono me ngā tikanga matua o te ratonga tūmatanui i roto i ā mātou mahi.
In the public service we work collectively to make a meaningful difference for New Zealanders now and in the future. We have an important role in supporting the Crown in its relationships with Māori under the Treaty of Waitangi. We support democratic government. We are unified by a spirit of service to our communities and guided by the core principles and values of the public service in our work.
What does it mean to work in Aotearoa New Zealand’s Public Service?(external link) — Te Kawa Mataaho The Public Service Commission
